Heseltine urges small firms to bid for RGF funding

Veteran politician Lord Heseltine has made a personal appearance in York to urge small firms to bid for government funding.

The Tory peer was speaking at a roadshow to support the second round of the Regional Growth Fund (RGF), which provides financial backing for struggling firms with potential for future growth.

Heseltine, who chairs the RGF’s advisory panel, said that the first round of the RGF was “extremely popular” and had been inundated with bids.

In encouraging small firms to bid for second-round funding, he added:

“I hope businesses and public-private partnerships are inspired to think about innovative and creative ways of making a difference to growth and shaping their economic future, and that we will see results of this thinking when we are assessing bids.”

The second round of funding opened for bids in April, and closes on July 1. For more information, visit the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills website.